What were President John F. Kennedy’s last words, spoken to Jackie, after he was shot on Nov. 22, 1962?
Moments before he was killed, the president was sitting in the backseat of a dark blue 1961 Lincoln Continental convertible sedan with his wife Jackie and Texas Gov. John Connally and his wife Nellie, according to Newsmax.
As the motorcade passed the Texas School Book Depository on Elm Street, a shot rang through the air and President Kennedy slumped forward in Jackie’s arms.
As her husband lay dying, a puzzled look on his face, Jackie told him how much she loved him.
President John F Kennedy and his wife Jackie greeting the crowds from their motorcade on that fateful day in Dallas. Credit: GETTY
His last words were “No, you certainly can’t.”
According to Reader’s Digest, the president’s words were not directed towards Jackie, but in answer to Nellie Connally, who had said moments before the shots were fired that Kennedy could not say that the people of Dallas had not given him a “nice welcome,” referring to the huge crowd that had assembled to watch the presidential motorcade.
The president was still alive when he was admitted to Parkland Hospital less than 10 minutes later. After he was pronounced dead, Ladybird Johnson asked Jackie if she wanted to change out her blood-soaked pink Chanel suit. Jackie refused, saying: “I want them to see what they have done to Jack.”
*Originally published in November 2019. Updated in November 2022.
Love Irish history? Share your favorite stories with other history buffs in the IrishCentral History Facebook group.
Comments